GENERAL SUMMARY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5662, 23 May 1879, Page 2

GENERAL SUMMARY.

We believe Ministers have almost definitely settled that Parliament shall be called together for Thursday, 24th July. The'official valuations now complete show on paper that the • land tax will , produce £105,625. The value of the taxable property in the various land tax districts has been returned as follows : —Auckland, £3,235,000 ; Hawke's Bay, £3,899,079 ; Wellington, £7,983,361 ; Nelson, £8,000,000 ; Canterbury, £15,790,000 ; Otago, £16,800,000; giving a grand total of £50,707,440, on which the tax of jd. in the £ will yield an annual revenue of £105,625. The Wellington district includes the Wellington and Taranaki provincial districts, the Nelson district includes Nelson, Marlborough, and Westland provincial districts, and the Hawke’s Bay district in addition to the provincial district of that name includes part of Cook County. • The cost of collection will be about double tbe estimated amount. The £105,625 will be subject to reductions on appeals. Heavy floods between Auckland and the Waikato have done considerable damage. Five bridges oa t | the Great South-road are ; completely washed away. At Drury a man named Mcßnrney had a stable and three horses carried away down the stream. One horse was drowned. The Waiuku Bridge was carried away, and a portion washed ashore at Drury. Owing to the depressed state'of agricultural matters the Hon. H. B. Bussell has felt himself under the necessity of coming to an understanding with his workmen. He called them together to-day, and told them i they, must either accept a reduction 'of 25 per cent, or he would have to reduce-the number of employes. They accepted tha reduction.

In another column we publish a most important telegram from Kihikihi, near Cambridge, containing the proposals made by Eewi to the Government. If this scheme or anything like it is adopted, an enormous sacrifice will be involved, and it is more than likely that strife between Rewi and King Tawhiao will be stirred up. The tract of land proposed to be handed over to Rewi as his little kingdom would embrace several million acres, and includes a large part of Raglan County, the whole of Kawhia County, almost the whole of West Taupo County, and fully hall of Taranaki County. The most of the King country would then be known and treated as Rewi’s land, supposing that King Tawhiao would quietly submit to this practical instalment of Rewi as his superior. This is a solution of the native difficulty which was never contemplated, and bears out the view recently expressed by a private correspondent, who, writing from the district under date May 13, said :—“ Old Rewi is playing his own game, and Grey’s defeat has thrown him completely into the hands of that wily nigger.”

Any one paying a visit to Mr. E. W. Mills’ Lion Foundry may see several-engines and different kinds of machinery in course of construction. The first idea that strikes one is, why are engines imported from Home when they can be made every bit as well in the colonies ? We are glad, however, to notice that several companies and also private persons who require engines are now becoming aware of the fact that the colonialmade article is worth patronising. The Golden Point Goldmining Company some short time ago gave an order to the firm to construct machinery for the working of their mine, including engine, boiler, &c. The engine is known as the high-pressure horizontal engine, 25 horse-power nominal, but capable of working np to three times that strength. The cylinder is 16Jin., with a 80in. stroke, and is of superior design and workmanship. It is fitted with high-speed governors; which are found to answer remarkably well. The boiler in connection with the engine is ready for transhipment. It is of semi-Cornish tubular design, and has been tested to withstand a pressure of 1401bs. to the square inch. The plates are §in., with Jin. ends. The remainder of the machinery in connection with the mine, such as the cage, gear for working the pnmps, &.C., are nearly all completed. This is the third engine of the kind turned out from the Lion Poundrpwithin the last six months. The first was to the order of Mr. Corpe, at Masterton, for saw-milling purposes. The second was also made for a saw-mill, and was fitted up at Palmerston North. We also saw in course of construction an engine and boiler for Messrs. Robinson and Nichol's saw-mills at Carterton. The engine for the Golden Point Goldmining Company is worth inspection by those- interested, it being very compact and beautifully finished. A meeting of the Hospital Committee of the City Council and several medical gentlemen who are associated with the committee, was held on Wednesday afternoon for the purpose of considering what steps should be taken for organising a system of management for the Wellington Hospital in future. Dr. Johnston propounded two schemes, leaning strongly to one baaed on the support of the institution by voluntary contributions. In this he was strongly supported by Dr. Kemp, and in the course of his remarks the latter gentleman expressed an earnest hope that the Wellington Hospital -would remain upon the present site. After some little discussion it was agreed that the medical men of the city should be invited to draw up a written report embodying-their views. , .

What appears to have been a deliberate attempt to burn down the offices of Messrs. Moorhouse, Edwards, and Cutten, solicitors, occurred on Tuesday night. The office was shut up at 6 o’clock, and everything left in perfect safety. At 7 o’clock Mr. Moorhouse, juur., fortunately returned to the office and found a number of old briefs which were stowed on a shelf in a blaze. Mr. Moorhouse, however, had very little difficulty in putting the fire out. A window overlooking Mr. Dransfield’s yard, which is always kept shut, was found to be open, and several wax matches lying about the floor. The papers destroyed were of little or no value. ■ Messrs. Moorhouse and Co. send us the following letter concerning the fire :—Wellington, May 21, 1879.—Sir, — Will you kindly permit ua through your columns to correct an error into which one of the evening papers has fallen in referring to the tire upon our premises. Our offices are not insured for £3OOO, or for any sum apart from the block of buildings of which they; form a portion. We are not aware what the insurances may be upon the block, as we have no interest in them. The only insurance by which we are affected is one for £4BO upon our law library and office furniture, effected with the South British Insurance Company.—We are, &0., Moorhouse, Edwards, and Cutten. The Board of Education prizes have been purchased, and are ready to be handed over to the school committees for distribution. Several of the committees are desirous of repeating the ceremonial of last year, when so large a gathering took place in the Opera House, and when the prizes were presented by his Excellency the Governor. Arrangements for holding such another demonstration will probably be made in the course of a week or two.

The Royal Commission, consisting of Capt. Rose, Commander Hewitt, R.N., and Captain Cross (Nelson), left by the steamer Wanaka on Tuesday, for the purpose of making a thorough investigation into the circumstances under which the Taupo was wrecked. Their report will be looked forward to with great interest.

A-quantity of very valuable reference books have just been added to the Athenmum. They are very handsomely and strongly bound, and are remarkable for their completeness and the modern date of their publication. These books have been purchased with money bequeathed to the institution by the late Hon. W. B. Rhodes.

• We have received copies of the plans of the reclaimed land to be sold on 17th June, also conditions of sale. They appear to be the same as those which obtained at the last sale. In connection with this matter we might point out that it would be well if the Government would fulfil the promise made at the last sale. Despite Colonel Whitmore’s clever letter to the Corporation about the footpaths, people who relied on the Colonel’s own promise in the auction-room regarding footpathsare proving a little sceptical. The streets are being made very slowly it is true, but there is not the slightest indication that the other .work will be done within reasonable time.

It is stated that within the past four or five weeks the merchants of this colony have countermanded by cable orders for 2-J million pounds worth of goods, which had been sent to England and the Continent by post. A great falling off in the Customs revenue for the first half of next year must therefore be anticipated, and the deficiency duly provided against. Messrs. Hiscocks, Hayman and company have now perfected arrangements for the appearance in suecession in Wellington of the following companies :—Miss Beatrice D’Arcy Ogden,, Theo. Hamilton, and dramatic company ; to be followed by Wybert Reeves, the eminent comedian, with a comedy company ; Captain Baldwin, the great spiritualistic exposer ; to be followed by the Mammoth Minstrel Company, now playing in Melbourne. Each company will play, a short season of only three weeks, with the exception of Captain Baldwin, who only stays six nights, so that there will be a continuous run of novelty. The “ camgaign ” will open at the Opera House on, the 2nd July, following Mr. Darrell's present season. In Thursday’s Government, Gazette, the Under-Seeretary for Mines directs the attention of owners and managers of mines to a proclamation of the 28th of February last, bringing into force the Regulation of Mines Act, 1874, the provisions of which will as far as may be reasonably' practicable—especially with reference to precautions for safety—be strictly enforced. About two o’clock on May 19 the railway station at Mercer, together with the refresh-ment-rooms and ladies’ waiting room, was completely destroyed by fire. It was caused by a heated stove pipe igniting a wooden wall. The fire was discovered by the people at Ridler’s Hotel, and William Morgan gave the alarm. The fire was then bursting through the roof of the station office. Only a few articles of furniture were saved. The station-master had been making up accounts till after midnight. No one slept on the premises. The buildings' had recently been enlarged.- Mr. Arkell is the proprietor of the refreshment-rooms, which are' insured for £SO in the Norwich Union. He estimates his, loss rat between £4O and £SO; The adjoining buildings were saved by the use o£ wet blankets. Had not the house been wet with rain,’the Telegraph and Rost Office and other buildings must have been destroyed. They were'in great jeopardy, and as it was the' furniture had to be moved out.. Air. McDonald,; the general manager, has come by special train to view the mins. The loss to the Government will be about £looo.'

A large school of whales was seeu on Apr! 29th by those on board the Stella on her trip between Moeraki and Banks Peninsula. It is stated that the Government have decided to call for tenders immediately for the reclamation of ten acres of land on the other side of the railway station sits. The number of patients admitted into the Wellington Hospital last month was 35. There were 21 discharged. The number of deaths was 8. There are still in the Hospital 67‘ patients. During the last month 104 births, 56, deaths, and 31 marriages were registered in Wellington. For the corresponding month of last year there were 81 births, 31 marriages, and 20 deaths registered. We have seen reports lately of large stalks of corn grown in some localities (says the Tunpehi Timet), but the following eclipses anything we have known. One of three stalks of short Tartarian oats, promiscuously taken from a good patch grown on the hillside by Mr. John .Scott, of Waitahuna, was found to contain 335 grains, and 200 grains for each ear was quite a common thing to find. The Provincial Grand Master of the Wellington District, 1.0.0. F., M IX, held a Purple lecture at the Odd Fellows’ Hall on May Ist, and there was a numerous attendance of past officers from the various lodges in the district. One member received the purple degree, and several others the inferior degrees to which they were entitled. Some discussion ensued upon matters of interest appertaining to the Order, and the meeting closed at 9 p.m. On April 16th there arrived from Wanganui by the night train a very large canoe consigned to Governor Hunia, of Horowhenua. The canoe is sixty feet long, and has been cut out of a totara tree. It and another smaller one were conveyed to Foxton on four trucks. It is intended to take the canoes to their destination by sea, and if the weather, be favorable today, the Osprey will take them down.— Herald. A storeman engaged in a well-known bottling establishment in Wellington had a very narrow escape from being seriously injured a few days ago. In the establishment is a bottle-cleaner which is driven by water power. The cleaner consists of a brush which revolves very quickly. The storeman thought that it would be a splendid affair for brushing his hair, and forthwith set the machine in motion, and placed his head against it. His hair was not very short, and was wound round the brush so tightly that he was nearly scalped. His head was so badly hurt that he had to consult a medical man.

The first pile for the new railway pier was driven in on April 28 alongside the breastwork, close to the spot where Sir Hercules Robinson first landed in New Zealand. The pile was driven in by a monkey in the ordinary way, hoisted by a steam-winch. The barque India, which arrived on Monday morning, has a quantity of hard wood from Port Esperance for the contractor. Should the supply of timber come to hand at all quickly it will not be very long before a considerable portion of the pier will be erected.

A rep»rt has been published in the Lyttelton Times to the effect that “ a party who were out shooting about 20 miles from the course of the Rakaia river, noticed a fish in one of the streams, and shot it. The fish was examined, and some of it eaten by an experienced fisher, who pronounced it to be a veritable salmon. The fish was about two feet long and weighed some 151bs. This, we believe, is the only fish of the species that has ever been seen in New Zealand, and lias no doubt come from Tasmania. The head and gills are in the hands of our Rakaia correspondent, and will shortly he Bent to us for exhibition.”

We understand that canvassing for the disposal o£ shares in the Foxton and Sanson railway was not very successful, as only some 250 shares were disposed of, out of a total of 2000 offered for sale. However, the promoters are confident that the balance will be subscribed for by the residents in. the district, and the company was registered on Monday under the District Railways Act. The energy and enterprise of those who have interested themselves in this matter deserve a word of commendation, and if it be true that the gods help those who help themselves, the Sanson people ought to prosper. A special meeting of the committee of the Chamber of Commerce was held on April 80th, Mr. Thos. Buchanan in the chair. The draft of a letter to be sent to the City Council on the subject of a Harbor Board for Wellington was discussed and agreed to. A letter’ was read from the Sydney Chamber of Commerce suggesting that, as many Americans would probably visit the colonies during the next two years on account of the Sydney and Melbourne Exhibitions, the present might be an opportune time for talcing steps to bring under notice the hardships suffered by colonial commerce in consequence of the prohibitory tariff levied on Australian and New Zealand wools on their entry into American ports. The committee agreed, and arranged to assist the Sydney Chamber in any way possible. Communications were received from the Dunedin and Timaru Chambers of Commerce with regard to the proposal for a conference of Chamber of Commerce delegates in London, and the appointment of a representative of New Zealand. No definite action was taken. Several other matters of routine business were attended to, and the committee adjourned. A rather amusing mistake occurred a few days since, which originated in a coffin being carried into a house in a certain neighborhood •of this city. Some observers at a distance mistook the house into which the coffin was borne, and immediately concluded that the wife and mother of the home (with whom they were acquainted) had . departed this life. Sorrow for the survivors led to a visit of condolence, and upon the door being opened the two sympathisers spoke softly and tenderly., The head of the house appeared just as jolly as ever, and he smilingly invited the visitors in. Being seated, they explained that the reason of their visit was to condole with the household in their sad bereavement, and truly their sad countenances and soothing words proved the genuineness of the sorrow. The host treated it all in such good humor that the lady visitors were not a little surprised at his good spirits. But imagine their consternation when thegood lady of the house entered the room and commenced inquiries as to their,health, &c. Explanations followed—a coffin had been seen, but the mistake had been in the house to which it was taken. The grief of the visitors was turned into laughter, and they bade adieu in better spirits than they came. A party from the''Geological Survey Department, headed by .Mr. McKay, have just come in after an exploring tour on the West Coast and the north-west of Nelson provincial district. They had been out since November last, and the structure of the country, very interesting on account of its probable future value fpr mining purposes, has been worked out iu considerable detail, notwithstanding the great delays caused by continued wet weather and the flooded state of the rivers. The district examined is very rough in its physical features, abounding in mountains up to fiOOO feet in altitude, so that the party suffered considerable hardships. One result of the trip is the collection of a splendid lotof lowerpalmozoic fossils, very rich ■in forms of life that have only been found in the oldest formations inother parts of the world. 1 These discoveries will greatly increase the already very large stock of undescribed material in the possession of the department.

Some few weeks ago a certain lady carrying on what was considered to be a prosperous business on Lambton-quay, told her employees that she was going on a visit to Christchurch, and would return in a few days. From a few stray remarks that had, fallen, and from'the frequent visits of an admirer- at the shop; the" employees thought that she was going to get married at the City of the Plains, and they patiently waited until the “ few days ” were over. But more than a week passed away, and the lady left in charge-of the business began to have serious doubts as to the result of the trip. At this time, however, she received a letter in which the proprietress stated that she would be a little over her time, and expressed a hope that the business would receive the best attention. This silenced all fears; and as creditors and others dropped, in they, too, received the consolation conveyed in the letter. But the aspect of affairs was changed when a passenger from the South brought the intelligence that he had seen and conversed with the proprietress at Invercargill, and fromherhad gathered that it was not her intention to return to Wellington, and was on her way to Melbourne. Still, upon this report no action could be taken, for should it be untrue she might turn uponexpectedly and seek recompense for the damage to. the business. To' the person left in charge it has been a time of anxiety and care. She has had to bear the brunt of the whole affair, answering the enquiries of chagrined creditors, and trying to sustain the reputation of .the business under "groat 'disadvantages." It appears to have been a cunningly devised plan on the part of the absent fair one to gain time to leave the colony, and yet at any time to appear upon the scene and • turn the tables, to her own advantage. We have just heard that a letterhas been received-bya gentleman in (town to the effect that she was off “ for good.”

At an auction sale at Oamaru on May Bth sides of mutton'sold at Is. each.

Mr. A. Reesh, cf Wellington, has secured the Sentry Hill .Workshops Contract of the Waitara-Patea Railway, for the sum of £1415.

At a meeting of the Christchurch District Drainage Board on May sth, it was resolved to place the remainder of the £200,000 loan on the London market.

Some time since samples of Oamaru building stone were sent to Brisbane, and as a result a shipment of 109 tons is now being made in the barquentine May Newton, which leaves here in a day or so. The amount of grain forwarded from the various stations from Amberley to the Bluff during the past three months was 65,555 tons. There were 12,320 bags waiting transmission at the various stations in the Canterbury district on May 3rd. A great tangi took place at Paribaka on May sth over the chief Tamehana, killed by a fall from his horse. Tamehana was lately gazetted assessor, and Te Whifci says he would nut have been killed had he adhered to him.

The Stad Haarlem left Lyttelton for Loudon on May 4th. She is to coal at St. Vincent, taking with her from here 1300 tons coal to reach there. It is positively expected she will reached Plymouth several days before the mails via' Brindisi, or in forty-five days. 1 . She has grain, wool, and tallow on board to the value of £52,668, and takes 135 passengers — forty-one saloon, fourteen second cabin, and .eighty steerage. .

The new wharf at Whangarei Heads, completed a few months ago, and which cost £7OO, was washed away on Monday, May sth, before daylight. A tremendous gale blew on" Monday night from seaward, and brought in an immense body of water. The wharf was built on a sandy beach, and the water must have raised the wharf bodily, as the remains now lie fastened together, some three hundred yards away. Two small houses, one hundred yards from the end of the wharf, also disappeared. There is now four fathoms of water where the houses stood. An immense body of sand has been washed away. The licenses of eleven runs in the Otago provincial district were offered for sale at the land office, Dunedin, on May 2nd. There was a large attendance of persons engaged in pastoral pursuits and of those interested therein. Mr. B, B. Martin officiated as auctioneer. There was only bidding for the runs in the Mcßae’s District, and for them the competition was very keen. Rumor says that the opposition to the re-leasing of the runs to Sir F. D. Bell and Gellibrand and Co. came mainly from the local residents, who had formed a company to secure, if possible, some portion of the country ; but the opposition did not prove successful. In another case Sir Francis Dillon Bell was opposed by a neighboring squatter. With two exceptions the runs fell into the hands of the old lessees, and in one .of these cases half of the run, .which was subdivided, reverts to its former lessees. The results of the sale are considered highly satisfactory to the State. An accident occurred on May 4th to a young man 17 years of age, named Geer. He had been-for some time • rab bitting on Messrs. Strode and Fraser’s Earnsehegs Station, and on the above date he and his mate were in tho tent, and the lad Geer was drawing the gnu towards him for the purpose of cleaning it, when from some unexplained cause it went off and the charge entered his left side. His companion went in to Clyde for medical assistance, and Dr. Leahy started at once ;■ but on arrival it was clear he would be unable to be of any service. The doctor remained with the young man till near morning, when he expired about nine o’clock. His mother is a widow, and lives at Bannockburn.

This morning’s Herald pointed out that the way Davvih and Burton, who do the Davenport performance, had been tied iu the previous three performances, was simply a farce. The Herald challenged them to allow themselves to be ; properly tied with a tom fool knot. It also suggested a more difficult knot, known as the jury mast knot. Oh May 7th there was a large house. Darvin and Barton were tied with tom fool knots. The tom fool, however, was not properly tied on one of them, so he secured a knife in the cabinet and cut away the ropes from himself and partner. The committee on the stage exhibited shreds of the cut ropes, and there was a great row in the bouse. Burton was very much hurt in his efforts to release himself, and could not appear afterwards. Had net one of the committee bungled iu tying one of them and did not make the knot properly, the two could not have released themselves even with a knife.

Inspector Johnston, under instructions from the Benevolent Institution, charged two men on May 6th for neglecting to contribute towards the support of their parents. From the evidence it appeared that the two defendants, named George and Alfred Maxstead, were possessed of farms in Tawa Fiat, and were quite able to support their parents. The father of the two defendants was in attendance at Court, and stated he was 75 years of age, nearly blind, and a cripple, having broken both his legs a few years ago. The mother is also quite infirm. These poor people have been provided with the necessaries of life by the Benevolent, Institution, and also tendered them by some half-dozen friends. The sons frequently come into town with their carts to sell the produce from off their farms, but never in any way helped their aged parents. In Court they positively refused to contribute anything,-, stating that they had wives of their own to look after. Mr. Mansford remarked that it was one of the most scandalous cases that he had ever heard of, and ordered each of them to contribute a sum weekly, to be paid into Court, -The two sons.- said it was no use making an order, as they would not pay. Mr. Mansford said he would let them see whether . the arm of the law or them was the strongest. The foundation stone of St. Peter’s Church, was on Maj 7th laid with due ceremony. The attendance was comparatively, small, owing no doubt to the unavoidable delays that had taken place owing to the wet weather. Bishop Hadfield and the clergy, represented by the Ven. Archdeacon Stock, ( Eev., ; E. J. Thorpe, Eev. E. Coffey, Eev. DeCastrb, filed out of the old church in ■ procession- shortly after three, and the choir, standing J around the stone, chanted Psalm exxii. After a collect, recited by the Bishop, a short litany, succeeded by the Old Hundredth, Mr. Eons. Marten, as senior churchwarden, presented tile Bishop With a trowel, and requested him to lay the first stone of the church the congregation had decided to erect. The stone was formally lowered into its place. The following is the inscription, on the plate : —“St. Peter’s Church, Wellington, N.Z., erected by the Archdeaconry Board of Wellington. In charge of —1. Rev. Eobert Cole, M.A., Colonial j Chaplain; 2. Eev. Samuel Poole, M.A., 1854, 1856 ; 3. Eev. Arthur Stock, B. A., 1856; Enlarged—lßs7, 1865, 1868, 1873. The first stone was laid by the Right Reverend Octavius Hadfield, Bishop of Wellington, on May 3, 1879. Arthur Stock, B. A., Incumbent; Charles Eous Marten, Edward Dixon, Churchwardens. Thomas Turnbull, Architect; Messrs. Murdoch and Rose, Builders. The work of our hand establish Thou it. Psalm xc. 17.” The; inscription on the trowel is as follows :—“ The first stone of St. : Peter’s Church .was laid by the Eight Reverend Octavius Hadfield, Bishop of Wellington, May 3, 1879.” The Bishop then said, “ In the faith of Jesus Christ we lay this foundation stone, iu the name . of , God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Chest.” The choir sang “ The Church’s one,-Founda-tion,” a few collects were recited, and the ceremony was at an end. On the sth May the Young Men’s Christian Association gave an excellent entertainment in the large hall of the Athenmum. Though the weather was inclement, the hall was .Well packed, about 500 being present, and considerable interest was manifested in examining the exhibits of works of art and curiosities, which ' were not only numerous, but-far superior-to what we expected to see. Among the exhibits were two photosdopes, together with a large supply of slides, lent for the occasion by Messrs. Clark and Price ; telephones, microphones, microscopes, stereoscopes,, photographic views, &c;, lent by Professor Kirk, Messrs. W. W. Knowles, J. Gell, and other friends ; South Sea Islands and other curiosities, byMessrs. W. H. Cook and Jas. Baker ; electric pen and postage-stamp album, by Mr. W. Gray ; duty-stamp book, by Mr. Hammerton ; and other curiosities. The proceedings of the evening were opened by the Eey. Mr, Williams, and the president of the association (Mr. J. G. Holdsworth) spoke-briefly on behalf of the association, and Professor Kirk delivered the opening address. Then followed several musical pieces by the evangelistic choir, who have rendered good service to the association by their singing. Mr. Short presided at the instrument, and Mr. Wiseman acted as, conductor. The pianoforte solos by Miss Cherrett were a treat, as indeed was the whole of the musical part of the entertainment. During the evening refreshments were partaken of, and although the hall was so filled, there was little inconvenience experienced. The Young Men’s Christian Association are to be congratulated upon the success of the. gathering, and we hope -before long l another such will 5 take place in a larger building. : . : ; 1

An analysis, conducted at the Colonial Laboratory, of antimony from Langton’s Reef gives about 15 dwt. of gold to the ton. A corre-ponclent of the Christchurch Press sa vs ;—“ Apropos of education, there were two voung gentlemen pupils of one of our leading educational establishments, engaged the other evening in what I believe it is correct to call 1 swotting up’ for the labors of the ensuing day. The following, remark was passed by, let us say, the least industrious of the two—‘You may talk about your telephones and microphones, .which I don’t understand anything about, nor more I do about this beastly Xenophon, which I think is the worst of the lot. I wish no one had ever invented him.’ He wished it again next moruiog when he got his usual imposition.” The .l/'iii'iis it l .i Herald says : : —“ Some men are born lucky. A few we-ks ago a gentleman who is a school teacher in .Mauawatn, went to the great land sale at Feilcliug and promiscuously purchased a section of suburban land. A few days after, on visiting his purchase, he was surprised and delighted to find that he had “ struck a patch,” as the whole sectiou was covered with splendid totara, which he estimates as worth at least a thousand pounds. We also understand Mr. Halcombe bought a section in the same way, and has since found that not only is totara growing plentifully upen it, but also (which is unusual in such cases), the soil is of excellent quality.” Referring to the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the claims of the South Island Maoris, the Lyttelton Times says :—“ Quite apart from the political aspect of the question, the student of local history will watch the progress of the inquiry with deep interest. In the giving of the evidence to be adduced there will be unfolded a deeply interesting page in the annals of New Zealand colonisation. Much will be made known through the columns of the Press that is now entombed in musty blue-books or hidden away in the uncertain memories of the very oldest of identities. To hear from the lips of a race whose traditionary lore is marvellously minute the story of how their birthright was bargained away to the pakeha will be abundantly interesting, whatever, from a political point of view, may be the ultimate outcome of the inquiry.” A Wairarapapaper says :—“The subjoined colloquy is said to have taken place at the District Court, Oamaru, during the examina-

tion of a bankrupt named W. Aitken. Referring to the alleged purchase by the debtor of 1680 acres in the Hakateramea, the solicitor, who appeared for a creditor, inquired who paid for the land in question 1 Answer ; Aitken and Spain, ray firm, found the money. His Honor : Where did you find it ? Answer : In the Bank. The solicitor ; Had you an overdraft ? Answer : No ; my brother made an arrangement. The solicitor ; What arrangement ? Answer : The Back found the money to pay Government for the land ; then we got £3OOO on mortgage ; paid that to the Bank ; and gave a bill for the balance, £360. His Honor : And then ? Answer : Then we dishonored the bill. His Honor : It seems a strange way of doing business ? Answer : Oh no, your Honor. That's financing." The Otago Daily Times says :—“The rapid increase in our railway receipts is really remarkable. Eor the four, weeks ending Bth March the total for the colony was £71,326, or at the rate of £920,000 per annum, while the gross railway revenue of New South Wales is only £860,000, though the cost of the Hues in each case lias been nearly the same, and New South Wales has a much larger populations. Had the North Island lines yielded iu proportion to the Middle Island, the result would have been still more favorable ; but for the period from Ist July to Bth March the 400 miles iu the North had only yielded, gross, £121,000, while the 720 miles south of Amberley had realised £374,000. The average of expenditure to receipts is now under 70 per cent., the exact figures for the month' having been 69.73. Taking all the lines together, we may say that in round numbers they are now paying 5 per cent, interest on five millions of money, which is almost equivalent to the striking off that amount from our total indebtedness.'’

The Lyttelton Times of the 9th May says : “From inquiries made yesterday morning full details as to the present state of the labor market were obtained. The books at Mr. J. J, Barker’s office, Manohester-street south, show that there are now plenty of laborers unemployed, and that amongst them there are some first-class ploughmen. Were a steady rain to take place for a few days, so as to bring the soil into better condition for working, the ploughmen would doubtless be at once absorbed. There is a brisk inquiry for potato diggers, the price paid ranging from Bs. to 9s. per ton, including digging, sorting, and bagging. There is a like demand for men to clear land from timber in readiness for ploughing, at contract rates at from £7 to £8 per acre. Married couples are greatly in excess of demand, though there is now a fair enquiry for couples without encumbrance, for farm work. Useful boys seem to be in great request. A growing demand is expected for men to undertake contract fencing, and already several orders have been received for bauds for bush clearing, 355. to 40s. per acre being offered. Eor all classes of domestic servants there is a steadily increasing demand. The rates of wages now ruling are as follows :—Ploughmen, 20s. to 225. 6d per week, with rations ; married couples, £65 to £75 per annum, and •found ; boys, 10s. to 12s. per week, and found; general servants, £3O per annum; female cooks, £4O ; housemaids, £25 ; nursemaids, £2O ; housekeepers, £4O ; nursegiris, ss. per week; waitresses,’ 15s per. week. Bor barmaids there is absolutely no enquiry at present, and for male servants for hotels the demand is very limited.” Mr. Kealls, who has long been connected with the Queen’s wharf, attempted to commit suicide on Wednesday, April 30. The following report of the circumstances is a copy of what was furnished by Sergeant. McMahon to the police :—“That at 10 a,m. on the 30th April, while. on duty, he had his attention attracted by the alarming cries of Mrs. Kealls, near the railway station. .On arriving there the sergeant found Mr. Horby Kealls in-his own water-closet, with his throat cut, the weapon used being an ordinary dinner-knife. Kealls was sitting on the seat of the closet, quite insensible, and a pool of blood was on the floor. His pockethaudkerohief was stuffed, into his mouth, and was with difficulty removed. The wound was found to be on the left side of the throat, the windpipe or arteries not being cut. Dr. Qillon was sent for immediately, who promptly attended to the wound and caused the bleeding to stop. Kealls was shortly afterwards removed to his bed, where he was attended to by Dr. Kemp, Mrs. Kealls stated that Mr. Kealls was in low spirits, and had not been home to dinner that evening. He came home shortly before dark, and left again at 8, with the intention, as she thought, of attending a Masonic Lodge. A scrap of paper was found by Mrs. Kealls, showing that he had attempted to commit suicide.” The wound is not considered at all dangerous. He became very violent on the Wednesday following, so much so that no one dared go near him, the consequence being that the assistance of the police had to be obtained. At midday he was brought down to the Resident Magistrate’s Court, when he was examined by Drs. Kemp and Collins, who pronounced the unfortunate man to be insane, and he was subsequently taken to the Lunatic Asylum. The New Zealand Herald closes an article discussing our colonial finance as follows : “It thus becomes apparent that, as matters now stand,’ the colony is committed to an annual expenditure of at least £3,975,000, while the revenue cannot with any degree of certainty be estimated at more than £3,500,000. Bor the present year this does not fairly represent the probable deficiency of revenue indeed, because there are special refunds accruing this year to the extent of upwards of £200,600, which will, of course, aid the revenue to that extent. This, however, does not materially affect the' general question of New Zealand finance, which is rather concerned with ordinary revenue and ordinary expenditure than with anything exceptional on either side of the account. Looked at from this more general point. of view, the question assumes a form sufficiently serious to demand attention. If it be the case, as the figures of the present Treasurer clearly show that it is, that the whole ordinary and territorial revenue of ■ the colony will not amount next' year to more than £3,500,000, we must either face a deficiency of more than £400,000, to be made up out of loans iu some way, or we must submit to more taxation, or, as a third alternative, we must cease to subsidise local bodies out of revenue, or to pay the 20 per cent, out of land fund to the counties. No one of the three alternatives can be esteemed agreeable, but wa see no reasonable hope of escape from one or other. How far each plan possesses advantages over the other we hope hereafter to discuss, but the limits of our space at present will not enable ns to do more than suggest the existence of these three courses to our readers as |the apparent result of a financial system, which has-involved living beyond our income as a colqny.” ■, . . :

The Eangitikei Advocate says ; —“ Wirihana Hunia and his lady’s connubial felicity has been disturbed by squabbles of a petty nature. The lady has retired to the paternal roof. Her lord and master takes a lesson from his unfortunate ivhite brothers, and forcibly declares that he will not be responsible for her debts.” On May 3rd the remains of the Her. Mr. Grace were consigned to the grave at Te Papa cemetery, Tauranga. The Yen. Archdeacon Brown read with much feeling and pathos the impressive service for the occasion to a large and respectable body of mourners. The body was taken from the hearse by a select number of representative chiefs from Tauranga, Taupo, Tarawera, R >torua, Thames, and Bay of Plenty. A large number of natives followed as mourners.

The various branches of the Volunteer force in the colony have a total strength of 7073 officers and men belonging to 123 c ins—in increase on the number of Volunteers' in the previous year of 525, but a decrease of four in the number of corps. The totals of each branch of the force were as follows ; Cavalry, 11 corps, 551 men; artillery, 9 corps, 629 men ; engineers, 2 corps 123 men ; rifles, 56 corps, 3311 men ; naval, 5 corps, 431 men ; cadets, 40 corps, 1932 boys. The published return of the number and value of the telegrams forwarded during the past quarter gives the following results;— Number of telegrams from January 1 to Mar. 31, 1879, 392,817 ; 1378, 333,115; showing an increase of 59,432. Cash revenue for the quarter, 1879, £21,993 ; 1878, £18,987 ; increase, £3006. The value of the Government telegrams shows an increase of £2091, and consequently absorbs more than two-thirds of the whole increase of revenue.

At a crowded meeting of the Mutual Improvement Society on May Sth an essay was read on the “.Duty of every mau to become a total abstainer.” The essayist, viewing the subject from an affirmative point of view, treated his side of the question in a very exhaustive manner. The delivery of the paper was followed by an animated discussion, which was prolonged up to a late hour. The president occupied the chair. The St. Mark’s juvenile entertainment given on May 6th in the schoolroom of St. Mark’s Church was a decided success.. Every available seat was occupied, and numbers had to stand. The performers, mere children, acquitted themselves most creditably, and their acting and singing were loudly applauded. A comic duet by a little boy and girl was probably the best rendered item on the programme. A minstrel performance, entitled “Ten Little Niggers,” was very amusing, and appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.

The new railway wharf is progressing apace. The contractor has closely fenced off about half an acre of ground inside of which he has ex'eoted his workshops, offices, and a cement store. The work of pile-driving was commenced ten days ago, and there are now thirty piles firmly set. At present the average number of piles driven in a day is five, but as the work proceeds and the men get more into working order this number will be considerably augmented. The contractor, however, is perfectly satisfied with the progress of the work, and confidently expects to have the work completed within the contract time. We desire to acknowledge the receipt of printed lists of the successful and unsuccessful competitors for the Cambridge University local examinations within the colony. From an advertisement in another column it will be seen that out of a total of 1531 candidates in the senior classes, 807 passed ; and out of a total number of 4563 candidates in the junior classes, 2979 succeeded in satisfying the examiners. The number of candidates from the Wellington centre was 17, of whom 11 failed, and six passed ; four of them passed in honors. None of the four girl candidates succeeded in passing. The next examination will beheld on Monday, December 15. All entries must be made to Mr. Kenneth Wilson, the local secretary, on or before July 26 next. During a recent visit North, Dr. Hector obtained from White Wand samples of water, with a view of determining their exact nature. It is found that the water in Lake Hope contains a large percentage of muriatic and sulphuric acids, and that the boiling springs which surround the lake contain only muriatic acid. The sulphur works recently established seem to be abandoned, though a bouse had been erected, and large piles of sulphur had been got ready for shipment. However, perhaps the time may yet come when the resources of the island’s wonderful natural laboratory may be utilised, and the heat arising from the geysers taken advantage of for the purpose of concentrating the strong acid salts in a form in which they will bear carriage.

It will doubtless be remembered that about two months ago Mr. Martin sold out his interest in the Albion Hotel, Courtenay-place, to a person named Fisher, a foreigner. The police, it appears, have been watching Mr. Fisher for some time past, and on Saturday, April 3rd, be was arrested as a defaulting bankrupt named Frederick Gleich, who had previously kept an hotel at Adelaide. The defaulter was brought before Mr. Maustord, R. M. on Saturday, charged that he did “on the 26th March, at Adelaide, he being then a person duly adjudged insolvent, remove, conceal, and embezzle a part of his estate to the value of £lO and upwards, with intent to defraud his creditors.” The police asked for a remand until this morning, which was granted. It is believed that the amount of money made away with by Gleich is about £3700. When he was arrested he had in hia possession sixteen diamond rings, valued at £250, and cash to the amount of £250.

The Dunedin Morning Herald says :—“ According to political economists, periods of depression in Great Britain and elsewhere are invariably accompanied by a relative decrease in the number of marriages contracted. Dunedin, it seems, is an exception to this rule, for notwithstanding all we hear and have heard in relation to the scarcity of money, thematrimonially inclined appear to have faith in the future. According to the Registrar's returns for the last month the number of marriages during that i poriod is more numerous than in any other month during the last five years. The true explanation, however, may be that the commercial depression which has been so marked both at Home and in the colonies has not been very severely felt in Dunedin. The fact that so far the scarcity •of money has caused no serious commercial failure in this city, while many such have taken place in other towns of the colony, rather favors this view of the matter.”

On Saturday, May 3rd, a man named Henry Phillips, an employee at the railway sta'.ion, Pipitea Point, while working at the big crane met with a. nasty accident. The crane was being used to lift a case weighing about a ton and a half. The case was on end, and the slings were so placed as to bring it on its flat. When the case reached nearly to balancing point, Phillips went between it and a railway truck in order to save the shock which he expected would ensue. Unknown to Phillips, however, the handle of the slewing gear of the crane was fixed, the strain of the box coming into .position caused the crane to slew, thus setting the handle in motion at a great speed. In the first revolution the handle struck ■ Phillips on the body, and the second catching him under the knees threw him 10ft. clear, shaking him severely and occasioning several slight bruises. Dr. Kemp attended to Phillips, and reports that though the bruises are not serious, he will be laid up for about ten days.

Detective Brown made a clever arrest on May 8. This prisoner is also wanted in Adelaide, but on a slightly different charge from Gleich—viz., bigamy. The prisoner, whose name is Samuel Cowan, is a fine, smart looking young man, of dark complexion. He was formerly a professional cook, but gave up the culinary department-for the more lucrative and genteel business of selling Bibles and other religious books. During his sojourn in New Zealand he has been doing a good business, has received a large number of orders for his works, and has been living in first-class style. He married his first wife in 1871, and lived apparently happy with her for five years, and then became enamouredof another. He induced her to run away with him; swore eternal affection, and painted such a glorious future that she left her home and fled away with him. Of course directly bis real wife became aware of the fact that her lawful husband had gone off with another woman she communicated with the police at Adelaide, and handed them a photograph of her husband. This was copied and sent to the police authorities in New Zealand,"and one of which came into the possession of Detective Brown. Since Cowan had his photograph taken in Adelaide he has somewhat altered his appearance by cutting off his moustache ; but this disguise was not apparently ■ sufficient. Cowan arrived in Christchurch a few months ago, and commenced his career as a traveller, rented a house, had it well furnished, and lived in good style. At length his mind became uneasy ; he broke up his home, and came over, to Wellington, where he again began canvassing the town for books, and was fortunate: in getting, a good many promises from intending purchasers. While here he lived at the City Buffet. His second wife, who is quite a young woman, arrived here three days ago in search of her husband,

The Otago Daily Times of the 11th says:— A flue deer was captured in the Lower Harbor yesterday, while making its way across from the cockle-bank towards the Deborah Bay side. The animal, a doe, was seen on the bank late on Monday evening, and while swimming across yesterday was caught by the crew of the schooner Rosaunah Rose, who placed it on board the steam-launch Reynolds for conveyance to Tort Chalmers. It is supposed to be one of Mr. Larnacb’s herd, which has escaped from his property on the Peninsula.

The Lyttelton Times says :—“ Mr. W. H. Leach, a fanner, lately resident in Tnangahua, but who has determined to make Canterbury his home for the future, has just accomplished a journey, which a few years ago would have been considered absolutely impossible. In a two-wheeled dray, drawn by two horses, he has brought overland his wife and family of six children, from Reefton to Christchurch in eleven days, starting on Sunday week aud arriving yesterday. The party camped out every night, aud had singularly favorable weather, having experienced only one shower during the whole journey. The distance from Malvern was done by rail.”

We (Otago Daily Times) were yesterday shown a specimen of bluestone from a quarry discovered upon the Peninsula, distant about five miles from Duuedin, by Mr. Wm. Brown. It is of a character excelling anything which, so far as we know, has been found near Dunedin previously, aud as it exists in great quantities, should be turned to advantage in the city without trouble. It is especially suitable for flagging, and can ha worked off into the requisite sized slabs for this class of work with singular ease. Mr. Brown is confident ho could supply and lay down flagging of this stone at a cost of even less than hall that now paid in Dunedin. Builders and those interested iu stonework should see this sample, which, we believe, will be on view at Murray’s Hotel for a day or two.

The following tale of the times is told by the Ashburton Herald :—“ Scene ; A Bank. Enter a merchant, doing an extensive business, but having no mean overdraft at the bank. Banker : ‘ Good morning, sir. Dull times these, and money very, verj tight. By-the-way, my instructions are to have all overdrafts paid up. You must reduce yours at once.’ Merchant : ‘ But I can’t.’ Banker : ‘ But you must ;it is imperative.’ Merchant: * If I do I must press men for money who must inevitably go through if I demand cash.' Banker; ‘ Can't help that ; my instructions make no allowance.’ Merchant : ‘ All right. You owe me [we do not care to give any amount], and it has been longer owing than my overdraft. If you do not pay me before to-morrow morning I'll take legal measures to recover !’ Exit merchant, leaving the banker’s face presenting all the changing colors of the Colorado bettle.”

Writing of Inch Clutha the Leader says : “The surface of ‘the garden of Otago' now presents a most desolate appearance—silt, silt, everywhere. In many places the tops of the fences only are visible, and these will all have to be renewed. Where the ground had not been broken up the rushes and other rubbish are all covered up, the lops of the ‘ Maoriheads’ only being seen. There is some consolation in this, viz., that the surface is now considerably raised, and will not for the future be so liable to floating. As the ground previously was, the cost of clearing and burning would have been about £2 an acre. As it is now tho tussocks will speedily rot, when tho ground will be ready for the plough. Altogether, although the disaster has been a very serious one, the loss is not a total one, and hopeful elements regarding the future are not wanting. We have no doubt that life and activity will shortly be everywhere manifested in Inch Clutha, and that the present difficulties will in due time be got over and forgotten.” Mining does not appear to be in a very flourishing condition at the Serpentine. A correspondent of the Dunstan Times says : “ Perhaps you will bn interested in knowing how the reefs iu this district are turning out. Well, everything is at a standstill; all the men are discharged, and I think it very unlikely they will start again, at all events for a long time. The Naseby shareholders are pulling rather long faces, and no wonder, considering all things. The facts are simply these: There has been an expenditure of £3OOO, and tho gross amount of gold obtained is only 50 ozs. Cheerful news, this ;is it not ? So much for reefing.” Tlie first meeting of the South Canterbury Coursing Club commenced on Tuesday and concluded to-day. Owing to the meeting being held at Mount Peel there was a small attendance. Haros were very plentiful, but the beating bad. The following are the results of the first course :—Mr. Thompson's Balmoral beat Mr. Charter’s Livingstone Maid ; Mr. Mitchell’s Spring ran a bye; Mr. Derong's Smoker beat Mr. Guiness’ Old Smoker ; Mr. Kennedy’s Bess beat Mr. Turnbull’s Coronet; Mr. Thompson’s Temuka beat Mr. Royes' Kathleen ; Mr. Thompson’s Kiohraond beat Mr. Burrow’s Manchester ; Mr. Thompson's Jowley beat Mr. Macpheraon’s Chance ; Mr. Thompson’s Speculation ran a bye First ties. —Balmoral beat Spring, Bess beat Smoker, Richmond beat Jowley, Speculation. Second ties.—Balmoral beat Bess. As the three dogs left in the stakes were the property of Mr. Thompson, he sent Richmond to run a bye so that he might divide the first and second money with Balmoral. The money altogether amounted to £2l. Speculation and Bess, the third and fourth dogs, took £2 10s. each. Tho Consolation Stakes of £5 was won by Burrow’s Manchester.

The Otago Daily Times says :—“ Dunedin huntsmen are becoming ambitious. Not content with the mapped-out run after the red herring, and with carrying away wire fences by the chain, they aspire to chase the lordly deer either through the merry greenwood or any. thing else that may come in their way. They have applied to the Acclimatisation Society to grant them ‘ a stag or a hind, or both,’ from the herd at Bushy Park for the purpose. Naively enough, they added that no danger the deer need be apprehended, as they do not expect their harriers would be able to catch it. The application was read at the Acclimatisation Council’s meeting yesterday, and afforded considerable amusement to the members present. It was refused, and the hunting fraternity were advised to stick to the red herring in the meantime. The huntsmen, however, have a ray of consolation left, from a fact that was whispered at the meeting. A noble stag appears to have escaped Mr. Rich’s care, and now roams the forest glade of Goodwood. Let the gallant gentlemen of the hunt to horse, therefore, sound the merry horn, and away. The only possible drawback is that no season for hunting deer has yet been proclaimed, but as they don't expect to be able to catch it, no difficulty is likely to arise on this head.”

The Marlborough Times says “ Rather a good story comes to us from the ‘ happy hunting grounds.’ A party of enterprising sportsmen celebrated the opening of the imported game season by a four days’ cruise amongst the Sounds and their environs. When they came to sum up results they were rather chagrined to find they had jointly and severally engaged to donate twice the number of pheasants they bad bagged. . In' that dilemma they hit upon a novel expedient for making good the deficiency. They shot an equal number of the feathered carrion known as swamp hens, and by dint of some ingenious manipulation, beat known to themselves, they transferred the tails and plumage of the pheasants to the carcases of the swamp hens. By that means they were enabled to redeem their promises in full. It afforded quite an exhilarating sight, we are told, to witness the satisfaction with which the unsuspecting victims of .this ‘little ruse, walked home with their ‘ borrowed, plumes.’ Since then, dinner party invitations, with a brace of pheasants set forth in bald relief on the bill of fare, have been all the rage, so that between this and that and the cl cetera , the ‘ sell ’ becomes rather wide spread. The denouement, or discovery, although safe to eventuate, has not yet occurred. Meantime, one or more of the tender-hearted chickens of the party have undertaken another excursion, so that if any unpleasantness occurs, they will not be there to witness it.”

We are pleased to notice that all the successful candidates from Wellington at the last Cambridge local examination are from the College, and of these six two have obtained honors, while three have gained special distinction in Latin. We understand that tbe total number of candidates from the College was ten, and that these ten comprised not merely the picked boys who were considered likely to pass, but all whose age and work rendered them eligible to enter. ' This is clearly the fairest way of using such an examination to test the work of a school. Under these circumstances the measure of success obtained by the College boys is highly creditable to themselves and the institution. We think it a pity that an examination like this, where the number of candidates is so large and the standard so clearly defined, is not more widely used in this country. ; We are glad to hear that the number pf candidates this .year is likely to be much larger than on any previous occasion, comprising a number of entries from Dunedin, Lyttelton, and Nelson, as well as from Wellington. .

The Harbor-master’s report at Lyttelton for the month shows the tonnage of vessels entering the port to be 35,017 tons. Xt has been resolved in Hokitika to float a company for the purpose of working the marble quarries at Caswell Sound. Twenty-seven school committees in Otago have passed a resolution in favor of Bible reading in the State schools. The Registrar’s returns show tho deaths in Christchurch and district during April were 28 and 39 respectively, being seven leas than in the preceding month. Mrs. Redwood, the mother of Bishop Redwood, Mr. Henry Redwood (tho great racing man), and of numerous other old settlers, died at Blenheim on the morning of April 30th, aged 81 years. It is not often so large a postage fee has been paid as that for the transmission from T.y ttclton to England of the Harbor Board a debentures. This reached tho respectable amount of £7O. ... On the 31st March there were 14,127 children attending the Government schools *n the North Canterbury district, at the beginning of the quarter there wore 12,126. 1 hero were 115 schools open and 336 teachers employed, besides thirty sewing mistresses. The following is the return of cases tried at the Dunedin Police Court for the quarter ending March, 1879 :—Criminal cases dismissed for want prosecution or evidence, 74 ; dismissed on merits, C 9 ; summarily convicted or held to bail, 614; committed for trial, 11; neglected children committed to Industrial School, 10 ; lunatics committed, 11 ; protection orders granted, 9 ; total 791. The total statistics tor the Dunedin district for the month ending April 30 are—Births, 155 ; deaths, 58 ; marriages, 54. For the corresponding period of last year the returns were —Births, 159; deaths, 41 ; marriages, 37. There have been more marriages during the month ended to-day than in any month during the last five years. A man named Johnson died suddenly on the afternoon of April 29th on the Queen-street wharf, Auckland. He was loading gum for Messrs. Arnold, Hines, and Co., under a hot sun, and fell, apparently dead, but partially recovered, but died while being conveyed to tho hospital. Johnson said he was the brother of a banker in Ireland.

Mr. Veaey Stewart has been trying to negotiate the purchase of the Te Puke block, lately purchased by the Government from the Arawas at Maketu for a third special settlement. In the letter urging his request, Mr. Stewart showed that £24,000 worth of improvements have been carried out at Katikati by the settlers introduced by him, on a block of land which, three years ago, was covered witli fern. The Waste Lands Board refused the application. The body of a young man named Frank W. Bush was found in the river Avon at Christchurch on April 28. He had evidently committed suicide. A letter was found in his pocket addressed to hia father in London, stating that before it reached its destination deceased would be probably “in a place where no money was required.” Deceased had been betting, and was penniless, as he stated in the letter, wherein ho also mentions wife and child.

A presentation to Mr. Conyers, as , a memento of the opening of the railway to Invercargill, took place at Christchurch on Friday, April 25th. There was a very large attendance. The presentation was made by Mr. John Ollivier, and consisted of a clock model of ftn engine, mounted on a silver turntable. The health of Mr. Conyers was drunk amid cheers. He replied in an appropriate speech, referring to the kindness he had always experienced at the hands of the people of New Zealand generally. Mr. W. Hoskin, of Bell Block (says the Taranalci Herald) whilst ploughing the other day unearthed a cannon, which is supposed to have been buried over twenty years ago. The cannon is 3ft. 6in. long and din. in the bore, and is believed to be one which Kichard Barrett gave to an old native who went by the name of Skipper, and who is supposed to have taken it from the Sugar Loaves to Bell Block, and buried it on the war first breaking out, where it has remained ever since.

The Auckland City Council have rejected a motion for the reduction of the general rate below Is. The Town Clerk laid the following estimate of expenditure on the table for next year On streets, £6540 35.; lighting streets. £IOOO ; fire brigade, £3OO ; advertising, £l5O ; printing, stationery, &c., £l5O ; rent, £l9O ; salaries, £IBBO ; contingencies, £SOO. Money now available, £3OOO ; money required, £7710 85.—£10,710 3s. The total rateable value of the city property on the valuation roll is £154,203. The rate necessary thereon to raise the money required is Is. in the £l. David Moss writes to the Auckland Star stating that he fell iu with a number of racing men at an hotel, who booked fictitious wagers to draw him in at 3to 1.. The owner of two horses in a race induced him to lay odds against one, on condition he stood in, and then allowed the other to win and repudiated his obligation. Moss says he paid £283 in wagers, and given his jewellery to meet the debt, which he had since had reason to believe was a swindle. He gave cheques on hia father in Melbourne, but a gentleman in business telegraphed advising him not to pay. Prospecting in Wetheratones claims (says the Tuapeha Times) proceeds with unabated energy.—The Golden Fleece shaft is down 215 feet, and is showing a very good wash. A good number of the green or jasperoid stones —a good indication—are being met with. This company’s shaft started from the surface at a 50 feet lower level than the Black Horse Company's, so that if the latter company do not strike the blue cement till they come on the same level as the Golden Fleece they will have at least another 50 feet to sink before they reach the blue. The Dauntless Company are down 106 feet with their new shaft. They are pushing on with it very rapidly, not having much water to encounter.

Judging from the following advertisement in the Tuapeha Times. the heathen Chinee is just as alive to the advantages of high wages as his pale-faced brethren : “Notice to Europeans employing : Chinese.—Notice is hereby given that' any European who may require the services of the Chinese shall be expected to pay the usual rate of wages ; and if any Chinese employed are not worth the full rate, the employer is. requested to discharge him, or pay him the full rate.— Thos. Chin Sino, agent.” The advantages of trade union principles are evidently duly appreciated by the heathen Chinee. The Dunedin Morning Herald says ;—“ A number of the cars and engines to be used on the Dunedin tramways having been imported, they are now being put together at the depot on the reclaimed land. The engines appear to be admirably suited for street traffic. They can bo driven from either end, and consume their own smoke and steam. The carriages, which are of English manufacture, do not strike us as being particularly good, from the proprietor’s point of view at least. They are about 2ft. longer than the usual London omnibuses ; but unlike them, they have no knifeboard, or roof seat, so dear to the Cockney in fine weather. There are other types of carriage on the way, we believe ; and Continental and American manufactures will be used along with those already imported.” The Bay of Plenty Times says;—-The proverbs that “it is not always safe to judge by appearances,” and that “ accidents will happen in the best regulated establishments,” have just received striking exemplification. A short time ago a gentleman arrived in Tauranga and presented himself at one of the principal hotels. Here he stayed for two or three days until the landlord, becoming uneasy about the bill, requested payment, and finding that his guest was short of ready cash, turned him out. The traveller then asked for accommodation at a leading boarding-house, but the proprietor not liking his appearance declared the place was full. Next morning the mysterious one proved to be a wealthy capitalist, and bought up the finest farm property in the district. The unfortunate hotel and boarding-house keepers are tearing their hair with anguish, for the party is sure to become one of our leading county magnates, and the unlucky error may lead to a disastrous loss of custom.

A very serious accident occurred the other day at the Mararoa station (says the Southland Timet). The cause was an explosion of gunpowder, and the victim a rabbitter named Warns, a comparatively new arrival in the colony. From what we could learn, the man was drying gunpowder in his hut in that rough-and-ready way prevalent in several of the country districts. Finding on his arrival at his whare one evening that some .of his powder had been exposed and had got damp, he immediately set about drying it by placing it in a plate and holding it over the fire. Very shortly afterwards an explosion occurred, meeting the unfortunate fellow almost full in the face. The result was that one ear was completely blown off, and his eyesight so impaired as to render it impossible for him to use his organs of sight for some time. In this deplorable condition he remained for three days, when he was discovered by one of the shepherds going his rounds. Seeing Warne’s condition, he applied what restoratives he had at hand, and afterwards the sufferer was conveyed to the hospital, where he now is.